Pregnant Dog Food Care

If your dog is pregnant, you need to take care in the food she eats.

One day, you take your female dog to the veterinarian's office for a routine visit. The only thing you planned on was getting your dog a routine physical exam and finding out that she is perfectly healthy. However, you were shocked to be told that your dog is pregnant. As thrilled as you are, questions begin running through your mind. How do I find homes for anywhere from 4 up to 8 puppies? What special care should I provide to make sure my dog and her growing babies come into this world safe and sound? These thoughts are perfectly normal for any loving dog owner.

As you know, adequate rest and a continual supply of fresh water is always necessary to maintain any dog's good health. This does not change now that your bitch is pregnant; she just needs more because pregnancy in dogs, just as in humans, will put a lot of strain on her body. In addition to those basics, she will need certain vitamins and nutrients only the best dog food can provide. You cannot get this through any old kind of dog chow you see on the shelf.

A pregnant dog will eat more than usual, so be prepared for this. Check with your vet first to see if your dog requires and special food or supplement requirement while pregnant, and always follow their recommendations. You do not need to supplement her diet with vitamins unless recommended by the veterinarian. The important thing here is making sure your pregnant bitch is getting plenty of high quality food during this time.

High quality foods, and more of it, are required to feed a pregnant dog.

The food your dog currently eats should already have high protein, essential fats, and be of a good quality. However, a dog's nutritional needs do not come cheap, especially if she is big dog. This is why many owners consider cost above any other factor when choosing dog food. But now that your bitch is expecting a litter of puppies, you should not feed her sub-par food just to save money. Now is not the time to be cheap, and make sure you choose the best pregnant dog food available for your animal.

"What kind of food is inadequate for my pregnant dog?" Whether dry or wet, the following are some ingredients you probably will find on dog food labels. The higher the items below are listed as ingredients on a dog food label, the more that brand of food should be avoided.

Fillers. Fillers are used simply to add volume to dog food. They are usually made from soy, corn, or wheat that is not whole-grain. Fillers have no nutritional value whatsoever. They sometimes actually make your dog crave more food. This means you will be spending more money on something that is not benefiting your pregnant dog's health. Obviously, this is not a good situation for you are your pregnant dog.

By-Products. This is a term used to describe any kind of animal part like the beak or claw. Unfortunately, it is legal and common for by-products to come from sick or dying animals. Does this sound appetizing to you? Could you imagine having to eat something like that? If you would not eat it, you would not want your pregnant dog to have it either.

You will be surprised to know that most major brands do consist of fillers and by-products. Rest assured that there are also some brands that do not: Iams, Wellness, Taste of the Wild, and Buffalo Blue. In addition to these nutritious foods, add extra calcium to your pregnant dog's diet. The closer she is to giving birth, the more calcium she will need. Yogurt is a good source to try. Calcium will make her milk even better for her newborn puppies when they arrive. By giving your dog the healthy food it needs during pregnancy, you can be confident you are doing everything you can for your dog and her puppies.

In about 2 months, with proper feeding your dog should deliver healthy puppies.

A dog’s pregnancy typically lasts around 63 days. After delivering the healthy puppies, you should be prepared to begin their training. Not only will this make life easier for you, it will make them easier to find new homes if that is what you are planning to do. We recommend looking into Secrets to Dog Training to learn the correct way to start the new pups out on a proper training regimen. We have found this to be the best dog training guide around and highly recommend it.

Best of health to your pregnant dog, and good luck with the new puppies!

Sponsored Links

Pet Fact:

Human noses have an impressive 5 million olfactory cells with which to smell, sheepdogs have 220 million.